Aeroplane.



J. E. BISSELL.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1909.

1 1 1 2, 1 1 O, Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. E. BISSELL.

AEROPLANB,

APPLICATION FILED OOT.7,\1909.

1, 1 1 2, 1 1 O. Y Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

fly. Z

WIT/VESS'ESI- I EIWOR JOSEPH E. BISSELL, or PITTSBURGH, rniqNsYLvAivIA.

AEEOPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Z '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrrr E. BISSELL, acitizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Pittsburgh, inthe county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to improvements in the means of aerialnavigation, and has particular reference to that type of aerial vesselswhich is termed the aeroplane-class. 1

One of the objects of the invention is to utilize the principles of theaeroplane com-, bined with the principles of gyration, whereby theaerial navigation isrendered practicable and safe.

. the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide an aeroplane with apoiseror gliderframe in the form of a parachute, having means, in thenature of rotary propellers, for causing said aeroplane to ascend; saidmeans being adapted to control the flow of the air whereby the aeroplanedescends.

safely.

A further object of the invention is to provide the aeroplane with acombined single propelling and steering apparatus, in the form of anordinary screw propeller, which propels and guides the vessel in alldirections.

Astill further object of the invention is to retain the advantages ofthe aerial vessels of the heavier than air type, while simplifying andreducing the weight, and to provide more effective y, than in thedevicesheretofore in use, against certain-contingencies..-

With the objects enumerated and with others in view, as will more fullyhereinafter appear, the invention consists of certain novel features'ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed outin the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in theform, proportions, size, and minor details of construction may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of Oneof the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of theaerial l. Application filed October 7, 1903. Serial No. 521,462.

vessel, partly in section; Fig. 2 a plan view of the same; Figs. 3, 4and 5 aredetails of construction;.and Fig. 6 is a plan view of amodification of a detail of construction. The herein describedembodiment of the aerial vessel comprises a main frame 10, made of asuitable, rigid and light material, and being provided, preferably, witha plurality of rollers or wheels 11, facilitating the transportation ofthe apparatus and aiding the ascent-of the same. Upon thisframe ismounted a suitable source of power for actuating the oising, propellingand guiding-means, whic comprises in the present case an internalcombustion engine 12, having aplurality of cylinders, the number ofwhich may vary according to the requirements. There is furthermorearranged upon said frame a tank 13 containing the liquid fuel for saidmotor, the connections therebetween having been omitted as the same areobvious, and may be made by anybody skilled in the art. Part of the tank13 mi be used for storing the lubricating material for the motor. Abovethe motor 12 is arranged the operators seat 14, in front of which arelocated the actuating levers for the different devices upon the vessel.The fuel tank may be arranged around the operators seat, as shown at 13'in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The cylinders of the motor are arranged horizontally, its verticalcrankshaft being connected with a, preferably, tubular shaft 15, whichis rotatably journaled in a tubular support 16, fixedly attached to themain frame 10 of the apparatus. To the upper end of the shaft 15 isattached a flange 16.,

to which is fastened a, preferably, parachute-shaped poiser orglider-wing 17, made of or covered by a light and preferably '1 rigidmaterial, such as, for instance, aluminum. The frame is provided withradial and outwardly widening openings 18. '18, extending from theflange 16. substantially to the rim of the parachute-shaped wing.

nected in a similar manner-with a ring 22,2, slidably arrangedupon'th'e'shaft 15. The

ring 22 is in'engagement with a" ring 28, which is connected by means ofarod 24 with an operating lever 25,? arranged front of the operatorsseat 14, and pivoted at 26 to a support 27, fixedly attached to thetubular member 16 of the main frame of the apparatus. Near to the pivot26 is arranged a stationary notched segment 28, the notches of which areadapted to be engaged by a latch 29, slidably mounted upon the lever 25,whereby the rings 22 and 23 may be kept upon the shaft 15 in anypredetermined positions, and thus the inclination of the blades 19, 19with respect to the plane of the poiser wing adjusted as the particularcircumstances will require. It will be observed that, when thepoiserwing rotates, the blades 19, when set open, will act in the mannerof an ordinary screw propeller with a lifting power limited only by thesize of said blades and by the size of the motor and the speed thereof.Of course, the lifting power of these blades depends also upon theirangle of inclination, which may be predetermined as hereinbeforementioned.

The combined propelling and steering means of the aeroplane comprises ascrew propeller 30 of suitable size and pitch, which is fixedly attachedto a shaft 31, rotatablymounted upon a cross-shaped support 32,connected with and supported by the main frame of the apparatus in amanner hereinafter to be described. The propeller is actuated from themain shaft of the machine by a belt 33, preferably, of steel wire,running over a pulley 34, mounted upon the propeller shaft 31, and apulley 35, fixedly attached to the tubular shaft 15, said steel wirebeing guided by idle pulleys 36, 36, rotatably mounted upon a spindle37, attached to a supportin rod 38, which is connectcd by a un1versaloint 39 with the crossshaped member 32. The inner end of the supportingrod 38 carries fixedly attached thereto a sleeve 40, slidably arrangedupon a rod 41, which is attached to the support 27. The rod 41 and thesleeve 40 are provided with flanges 42 and 43, respectively, againstwhich bears a spring 44, forcing the supporting rod'38 and the partscarried thereby outwardly, keeping thus the belt 33 taut. The rod 41 isprovided near to the support 27 with a spherical member '45, eithersecured to said rod or, preferably, made inte al therewith. Uponthismemher is artlculated by a universal joint a cross-sha ed body 48,the legs of which are connecte -with the corresponding legs of thecross-shaped member 32 by means of guide wires 49, 49, for holding thescrew propeller 30 in the desired positions.

The 0 eration of the device is as follows: In startlng the lide of themachine, the blades 19, 19, which operate to levitate the device are setby means of the operating lever 25 at an angle to the plane of thepoiserwing 17 and then the motor is put in operation, which gives thedesired speed to the poiser-wing, the blades 19 and the screw propeller30, the shaft 31 of which is arranged, when starting, in a horizontalplane. The operation of the blades 19 and the propeller 30 cause at oncean air disturbance of such character that the atmospheric pressure ischanged so as to create a partial vacuum above the machine, and byreason of the expansive force of the atmosphere below the poiser-wing,the machine is floated with the parachute-shaped poiserwing gyrating,whereby the vessel is kept in an upright position. It is, of course,obvious that, in order to prevent the rotation of the main frame of theapparatus with the main ,shaft thereof, the propeller 30 may be set soas to produce a current of air, which counteracts to some extent thatgenerated by the propeller blades 19. When the desired height or levelit attained, the blades 19 in the poiser-wing are set so as to close theopenings 18 in the same. The frame is, however, left to rotate,increasing thereby the stability of the machine, and serving at the sametime as a fly-Wheel of the motor 12.

Obviously the poiser-wing serves also as a parachute, its action beinggoverned by the blades 19 and openings 18; more particularly with fullyclosed openings the frame acts in the manner of an ordinary parachute,wh1le wlth free or partially free openings the parachute action thereofis decreased. The machine is propelled and guided in its movement by thepropeller 30, the movement being entirelydependent upon the angle atwhich the propeller shaft 31 is arranged relative to its pivot. If theshaft 31 is arranged in a horizontal lane, the aeroplane Wlll movehorizontall its direction depending upon the angle at which the plane ofthe propeller 30 is arranged rela tive to the supporting shaft 38. Thepropeller may, of course, be set in the horizontal plane by shifting thehorizontal legs of the cross-shaped member 48 in the horizontal plane.When the propeller shaft 31 1s set'inthe vertical plane at an angle tothe supporting shaft 38 by shifting the vertical legs of thecross-shaped member. in the vertical plane, the aeroplane will proceedin a plane inclined to the horizontal, rise or descend, depending uponthe position of the propeller shaft 31 in the vertical plane.

In the drawings, a general arrangement of the aeroplane, constructed inaccordance with the invention, has been illustrated, but no particularproportions or sizes of the invention have been specified, since thesaid proportions and size must depend upon the machine in the diflerentplanes, have been described, but it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that numerous other devices can be employed to attain thedesired adjusting effect without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

It should be stated that the essential features of the invention lie inthe peculiar formation of the poiseror glider-wing in connection withthe lifting blades arranged in the same, in the manner in Which theaeroplane is guided in its movement, that isin the provision of anordinary screw propeller adaptedto vary its position in all directionsaround a point, and in the parachute action of the poiser.

l'Vhat I claim is: 1. In an aeroplane the combination of a frame, agyroscopic poiser-Wing including.

an extended and substantially undistortable membrane rotating in ageneral'plane of its extent, the continuity of such membrane beinginterrupted by a radially extending opening a levitator-blade extendingadjacent sucli opening and movable to close such opening, meansformoving said levitator blade, and means for rotating said poiserwing,substantially as described.

2. In an aeroplane the combination of a main frame, an outwardlyextensible arm carried by said frame, a supplemental frame pivoted onsaid arm, a propeller shaft rotatable in and carried solely by saidsupplemental frame, amotor carried in the said main frame, and flexibleoperative connections between said motor and the propeller shaft carriedin said supplemental frame, substantially as described. a

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a frame, a motor carried in saidframe having its power shaft extending in a vertical direction, agyroscopic poiserwving secured directly to said power shaft andincluding an extended and substantially undisto-rtable membrane rotatingin a general plane of its extent, the continuity of such membrane beinginterrupted by a radially extending opening, a levitator blade extendingadjacent such opening and movable to close such opening, means formoving said levitator blade, and a relatively heavy rim forming theperiphery of said membrane and serving as a fly-wheel for said motor anda gyro- ,scopic balance for said aeroplane.

Signed at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny, and State ofPennsylvania, this 25th day of September, A. D. 1909.

' JOSEPH E. BISSELL.

Witnesses:

W. D. KING, W. C. 0001:, WALTER Norms.

all

